Mrs Petra de Graft-Johnson, Program Manager, Ending Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), Ministry of Gender Children Social Protection, has called on men to report violence against them.

She said gender -based violence is a phenomenon of epidemic proportions prevalent in many families, communities, societies and cultures across the globe which women and girls, and to a lesser degree, men and boys experience in a lifetime.

Mrs de Graft-Johnson speaking at a meeting in Accra said men are to identify and report such acts to the appropriate authorities and ultimately train other men to desist from such practices.

The event was on the theme:”Men as Change Agents in Ending Sexual and Gender- Based Violence in Ghana”.

DSP Lydia Osei-Agyepong, the National Secretariat, Domestic Violence & Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), said men and boys continue to be major perpetrators of SGBV hence the need to educate them to deconstruct the negative patriarchal mindset that prevails.

She said out of 15,749 SGBV cases recorded in 2015; 4500 cases were assault to women, 316 were rape cases and defilement accounted for 1180.

She said statistics from the Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre, reveal that one out of three women has been physically assaulted or fondled against her will and 27 per cent has been sexually assaulted in a lifetime.

She said both gender have equal human rights, access to the services and are agents of enforcement of the laws of DOVVSU.

Mr Samuel Kyei-Berko, Executive Director of Lifetime Empowerment Centre, said men should respect, educate, encourage, desist from attitudes that will contribute to SGBV and learn to provide a supportive home for their children and female counterparts.

He urged men to join the campaign and contribute towards raising awareness on issues of SGBV.